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guam (dest)
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Guam The Territory of Guam (Guahan in Chamorro) is an island in the Western Pacific Ocean and is an organized unincorporated territory of the United States. Its indigenous people are the Chamorros, who first inhabited the island approximately 3,500 years ago. The capital is Hagta, formerly Agana (pronounced Agaa). Guam's economy is mainly supported by tourism (90% of all visitors come from Japan) and United States armed forces bases. The latter takes up 1/3 of the entire land mass of the island. History of Guam Guam's history of colonialism is the longest along the Pacific islands, starting with Ferdinand Magellan's visit in 1521 during his around the world voyage. The island became an important resting stop on the Spanish trade route between the Philippines and Mexico. Guam became a spoil of war and the United States took control of the island in 1898 after the Battle of Guam of 1898 in the Spanish-American War. Then, Guam served as a way station for American ships traveling to and from the Philippines. During World War II, Guam was attacked and invaded by the Japanese armed forces in 1941. The United States came back in the Battle of Guam in 1944 to liberate the island from Japanese military occupation. In the early 1960s, the United States eventually granted U.S. citizenship to the Chamorro people and gradually the island obtained semi-autonomous status through the Organic Act. Politics of Guam While there is a movement for Guam's complete independence from the U.S.A and a competing but limited movement for Statehood, most people on Guam prefer the current status but with greater autonomy from Washington, D.C. and the mainland. See: List of Guam Governors Transportation and Communications in Guam - Main articles: Communications in Guam, Transportation in Guam
Guam is served by Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport. As travel restrictions eased and the Japanese economy grew, Guam became a favorite destination for Japanese tourists. Guam is a relatively short flight from Japan compared to Hawaii, and a series of tourist hotels and golf courses were built to cater to the tourists. See also From the CIA World Factbook 2000: Miscellaneous The island is also known as a prominent example for the disastrous effects of bioinvasion: A stowaway on US military transport at the end of World War II, the slightly venomous, but rather harmless, brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) came north to Guam and killed almost the entire native bird population on the previously snake-free island. This snake has no natural predators on the island; nowadays, Guam is one of the areas with the highest snake density in the world (an estimated 2,000 snakes/km). Even so, residents rarely see these snakes. They curl up and hide during the day, and move about on trees and fences at night.
External links - ChamorroBible.org - Full text for Chamorro and English Scriptures (the rare 1908 Chamorro Bible), Chamorro language resources, maps, and related material.
- The Brown Tree Snake on Guam How the arrival of one invasive species damaged the ecology, commerce, electrical systems, and human health on Guam: A comprehensive information source.
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